Good Thing J.C. Penney’s New Merchandiser is the CEO

Can Jill Soltau bring the struggling department store the turnaround it’s been waiting for? There isn’t much time to find out. J.C. Penney is on the ropes, reaching the limits of its many recent cost-cutting moves — including shuttering stores and laying off workers — and struggling to participate in a retail boom that has been lifting rivals in recent quarters.